


Gift of the Goddess (is the same as a curse)

by ashatasha



Series: prepare me for the skeleton war (scavenge me new bones) [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, Nibelheim, and we're doing pretty fine, considering that this is based off mainly my sis and partially me, he's not a supernatural skeleton tho, his bones literally suck, i'm not sure whether to tag this as disability or not, they do the whole crack/pop/snap thing all the damn time, with a really bad skeleton!cloud
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5868793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashatasha/pseuds/ashatasha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud has his mom's creaky bones and snapping joints, and that's alright, he's learned to live with them. Sometimes his shoulder accidentally dislocates; sometimes he has to sleep off not being able to fully twist his torso. It's fine, <i>really</i>. Unfortunately, ShinRa doesn't really agree.</p><p> </p><p>aka an AU where Cloud's bones suck, ShinRa also sucks, Nibelheim sucks, and basically at some point Cloud says "fuck it, fuck SOLDIER, fuck ShinRa" and decides to stop giving shits. He also gets discharged from the military, which is kinda bad, but he picks up a job as the Nibelheim mechanic and goes around whacking monsters with wrenches, so it all evens out, right?</p><p> </p><p>And then of course that's when the damn Demon of Wutai, a hyperactive SOLDIER, and a bunch of uneasy troopers end up staying at his house eating old leftover stew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"What the actual fuck," Zack announced.  It wasn't really an undeserved statement, considering that even with the gracious amount on monster gore on them, everyone in Nibelheim seemed content to ignore the Shinra employees.  The inn was 'conveniently closed', the fresh market was shutting down as they came into town, all the kids suddenly had homework or chores to do inside, away from the outsiders.  Nibelheim was suddenly a ghost town.  "Like I've heard they don't like Shinra, but really?"

"It's better than the last time I was here, at least.  In Nibelheim, you either get ignored or kicked out," Sephiroth said, tone mild as milk.  The only sign of wariness was his flickering eyes.  The troopers behind them shifted nervously, and for good reason.  It was an eerie feeling, being watched while seeing no one.  "Better this than a riot."

A cold wind blew in, and Zack let out a gusty sigh.  "Guess we're camping tonight, then."

"Um, sirs?" one of the troopers asked roughly.   "I have a, uh, friend here, he was medically discharged from the infantry.  If we ask, he should let us stay the night instead of camping."  The suggestion came out awkward and clunky, but the smile peeking out was shy and well-meaning.  Sephiroth visibly considered between inconveniencing a veteran and the comfort of his men—when Zack gave him the most convincing grin he had, the general sighed and nodded.

"Very well.  Do you know where he lives, Specialist Gavin?"

Unfortunately, no.  It was easy enough to figure out eventually, though; all the other houses pulled their curtains shut and locked their doors as the sun set, while the one right at the outskirts, a bit up the mountain, remained lit up with open windows to let the cool night air in.  Even if it wasn't the veteran's house, it was a good place to start asking.

Gavin was the one who knocked.  His fellow troopers hung back while Zack stood with him, and Sephiroth wandered around inspecting the area.  He returned just in time to see a short blond teen open the door and grab Gavin into a hug.  The blond's grin was blinding.  "Remus!  You don't call, you don't write—" the teen crowed out teasingly.

The specialist laughed back with equal parts glee and relief.  "Well how could I if I don't know where you live, Cloudy?"  There was the obligatory man-hug before Zack inserted himself into the situation.

"So, your name is Cloudy?" he asked.  Half a moment of sizing Zack up before Cloudy smiled.  Softer, but still with the teasing edge.

"My name is Cloud, sir, not Cloudy.  Not that Remus ever seems to remember that," Cloud replied, ignoring the discreet elbow to his side.  The tilt of his head was pretty gutsy, considering that he looked as frail as a twig and cracked just as much.  When he lifted a hand out to shake, his shoulder creaked almost ominously.  Gavin winced, and Sephiroth could see the troopers, standing a bit away, look around in search of the sound's source.

For the second time that day, Zack said, "What the actual fuck?" even as he shook Cloud's hand. To be fair, it was rather loud and worrying.

WIthout missing a beat, Cloud explained bluntly, "My bones and joints suck.  If you hear a crack, chances are it's me.  Don't worry about it."  His words were deadpan and rehearsed.  Almost as if to show off, he let go of Zack's hand and twisted his wrist, prompting a series of rolling pops that made everyone wince.  "So, what're you here for?  This ain't just a social call, is it."

"Our company needs a temporary place to stay for the night, and the inn is closed," Sephiroth answered, cleanly inserting himself into the conversation.  Cloud's eyes widened, but the teen gave no further hint of nervousness.  "Specialist Gavin informed us that you might be willing to host us.  If it's an inconvenience, it would be more than enough if you would point out a good place to camp."

"I suppose," the blond replied blankly, and Sephiroth pretended not to notice when Cloud pulled Gavin aside after he invited them in, hissing, " _I can't fucking believe you brought the General over to my house, holy fucking shit I—_ "

Basic courtesy to the teen who was going to let them stay the night, after all.

Now if only he could get Zack to stop giggling about feisty fanboys before he got them kicked out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see it's really short and i want to write more but it's 4 minutes to midnight and this draft is gonna be deleted by ao3 in basically a few hours so im sorry. probably going to be a quick update though! i have ~ideas~ and ~inspiration~.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack moonlights as a gossipmonger, and Cloud gets his kicks sending silly SOLDIERS on data quests. Sephiroth would like to kick both of them, but he's too darn polite to let any of that show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when i said quick update i meant 10 years
> 
> update: if this shows up as an updated fic it's only the notes, so sorry. nothing new so far has been posted. check end notes for brief explanation for the... year long hiatus hOLY FUCK THAT'S LONGER THAN I THOUGHT

It was a cozy place.  The blond guy, Cloud—he was pretty brave, and didn’t let Sephiroth rattle him too much, which was always a plus—showed them in after cheerfully getting the troopers to remove their dirty boots.  Sephiroth followed their example, and Zack followed his.  There was something hilarious about seeing the mighty Sephiroth, bootless, waiting patiently for their host to finish his mini freak out with Gavin while glaring at Zack.

“Hey, so,” he began in a low voice, “what’s this Cloud guy like?”  All Zack knew was that the blond wasn’t easily shaken, he liked clean floors, and that he was surprisingly comfortable with strangers wandering around his house unsupervised.  While Gavin was dragged off to help Cloud get some food prepared, the rest were all given express permission to look around, as long as they avoided the basement and attic.  One of the troopers, Davis (?), stared uncomfortably at one of the pictures in the entryway.

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” he finally said. “Well.  He’s nice.  A bit quiet, sometimes, but he’s got a good sense of teamwork.  He wouldn’t go out of his way to pick up your pen, but he’d help out if someone was taking the hazing a bit too far.  Cloud’s a nice guy.  Like, we weren’t in the same squads, but some of the Third Class SOLDIERs liked to request him, so he got around a lot.  Saved my ass from some monsters.”

A laugh sprang from the last trooper’s mouth.  “‘Liked to request him’?” she laughed incredulously.  “Man, me and Argent, we used to see him and her SOLDIER boy toy all the time.  Rumor had it they were always _fuckin_ ’ around, if you know what I mean.”  She winked at David/Davis, who flushed.  “Even if they weren’t, the Third Classes were basically all over him.”

 _The Thirds, huh?_   That probably placed Cloud’s popularity a bit after Zack was promoted to Second.  He would’ve heard of some blond soldier before then, otherwise.  At least that meant he was reliable.  Kunsel was great at warning Zack about the bad eggs.  “So why’d he leave, again?”

“Medical discharge,” Cloud said _right fucking behind him_ , and Zack nearly jumped.  Fucking hell, for a guy whose joints were as loud as Angeal’s snores, he could move quietly.  From the tiny glint in Cloud’s eyes, he knew it too.  “Someone finally noticed why I usually fail at stealth-based missions, word got around, and well.  Here I am.  Talking behind peoples’ backs is rude, you know.”

“You move pretty damn quiet for what, a few creaks,” Zack replied dubiously.  “And c’mon, I’m a nosy guy!  Let me have my fun.”  He grinned his award-winning smile and cranked up the mischievous edge.

“Dinner’s ready,” was Cloud’s only response.

…Did Zack just fuck up?

 

-

 

Zack fucked up.

Throughout the entire dinner of warm stew and hard bread, there was no hint of the semi-playful, brash vet Zack had seen only two hours ago.  At least, not towards him.  Cloud was unfailingly polite-yet-cold, and Zack alternated between getting _fix-it-or-I-will-end-you_ looks from Sephiroth and sympathetic ones from the troopers.

“What did I do?  What _do_ I do?!” he hissed desperately at Gavin, who seemed to be the local Cloud expert.

“You said to let you have your nosy fun, right?  So,” Gavin shrugged, “go have your nosy fun.  Talk to him, ask around for gossip, I guess?”  He flipped up his palms as if to show his bemusement.  “Knowing him, this is his way of turning on challenge mode.”

“Challenge mode, huh?”  Sudden understanding lit up Zack’s expression, and Gavin shirked away. 

 _It was a challenge_ , and Zack was going to _own_ this.

 

-

 

Most obvious area of attack: _profile_.

Cloud had let them sleep in the attic with some quilts and worn old mattresses.  The other bed was offered to Sephiroth at first, as he was the highest ranking, but the General declined, in order to let him catch up with that Specialist.  Tomorrow, they would go out and map the area.

Zack couldn’t help but treat it a bit like a slumber party.  Hey, it’d improve relations between troopers and SOLDIERs, right?  It’d do good to see the strict, uptight General relaxed.

(At least, that was his story, and he was sticking to it, damn it!)

The female soldier took one look at the dozen or so blankets and grabbed five to construct her own little fort.  “Miranda Sykes is gonna be Miranda _Yikes_ on my criminal record if any of y’all try anything,” she warned.

“That was a terrible pun,” David/Davis shot back, just as Zack climbed up.  “Hey, sir.  Would you like to choose between the _aliens_ quilt and the _farm animals’ revolt_ quilt?”  He held up both for inspection.  Zack grabbed the one covered in farm animals.

Sephiroth climbed up right after Zack, holding a few pillows.  “Cloud has requested we be awake by oh seven hundred tomorrow in order to catch breakfast.  There will be no watch shifts, as this area is quite safe and we do not wish to insult a veteran’s assurances.  However, I expect you all to be up and ready at least half an hour before required, understood?”  As he spoke, he accepted the quilt covered in strange blue and gray beings.

Three affirmations chirped back at him.  Zack took a discreet look at his watch: _9:28 p.m._ (which was ridiculously early in his opinion).  He had about an hour and a half to grill out all the info he could get before Sephiroth glowered them to bed.

He could do that.

 

-

 

“What the fuck was that sound?” Cloud asked Remus conversationally.  His perfected bland _I’m-not-saying-that-I’m-judging-but-I-am_ tone was mild and flat.

Remus strained his ears for a moment to catch what sounds Cloud was picking up.  Oh.  That.

“Just Commander Fair, probably.”

“…that sounded like someone dying, Remus.  If there are bloodstains in my attic tomorrow, you better help me clean them.”

 

-

 

“Your name,” Zack informed Cloud the next morning, “is Cloud Strife, you were a hella good shot with guns, okay with swords, and you kicked your instructor in the balls and made it into Shinra infamy.  I _still_ cannot believe that was you, by the way; Angeal was grumbling about disrespect and stuff for _weeks_.”

Behind him, Zack could hear someone choke on their eggs.  “Wow, subtle, much?” a whisper floated by.

Cloud (Strife, and that was such a dramatic name?  Genesis would probably adore it.) smiled, small and amused.  “What, are you reporting to me, Mister SOLDIER?”  His cute twang came out drawled.

“Well, Mister Strife,” he drawled right back, “it wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”  The Nibel accent was different from Gongagan, but they contrasted each other pretty well, one’d think.  Well, one’d think that if they could even recognize the words.  It was pretty obvious the accent showdown was losing everyone else.

They had a tiny little stare off, the Faux Judging But Amused eyebrows™ versus the Smug and Victorious eye crinkle™ while Sephiroth in the background ignored everything.

Finally, Cloud said, “Well, if you’re going to play it that way… what about a little wager?”

“Play what that way?” Zack retorted, but this was pretty fun.  Cloud flapped his hand right into Zack’s face, the movement a lot more clunky and loud than normal.

“If you can figure out how nobody noticed my little problem for so long, and then give me three ways how they did by the end of the day, I’ll give you some extra helpings at dinner tonight.”

Immediately, Sephiroth raised his head from his food.  “We wouldn’t mean to impose that long—” he began, and Cloud cut him off.

Holy fuck would Zack like to keep that snapshot of Sephiroth’s face forever.

“It’s fine.  Besides, I highly doubt any of the townspeople would warm up to you within twenty-four hours.”

Four pairs of eyes honed in on their superior officer.

“…very well.”

“Hell yeah!” Zack burst out, and winced at the scathing eyebrow Sephiroth raised at him.  “I, uh, thank you very much for your hospitality, Cloud.”  In the background, Gavin did a small fist pump.  Everyone got back to eating their food like normal people.

At long last, Sephiroth got up and beckoned to them.  “Don’t forget the mission,” was his only comment, and as they left, Zack turned around and mouthed “you’re on” to Cloud.

It couldn’t be that hard to brainstorm things, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zack. zack no, please do not harass your coworkers. also, i had completely lost track of this story??? too many essays and projects going on rn, so have a version i liked most
> 
> UPDATE:
> 
> yeah i'm... not good at updating my fics, yikes. reasons: school's been kicking my ass, i generally only have time to write ~1am - 4 am (thanks insomnia) so the quality isn't good so i don't like what i've got so far, other fandoms pull my attention pretty often bc of insistent friends. there's also a bit of home situation stuff that i won't get into. no promises but there should? be an update h o p e f u l l y by summer break.


End file.
